Rabbi Yosef Ber Soloveichik, the rav of the town of Slutsk once happened to meet a young man who had been one of his students at the yeshiva in Volozhin. The meeting was very cordial and the rav invited the young man to dine with him at his home.

"What are you doing these days?" the rav inquired. "Thank G-d," the former student replied. "I have become a merchant and I'm very successful. In the past few years I have done very well for myself, and I'm making a very comfortable living."

The rav looked at his former student, paying close attention to his words and then said, "What are you doing?"

The young man was perplexed. Hadn't the rav understood him? he wondered, and he repeated his explanation. But instead of acknowledging his statement, the rav only repeated, "What are you doing now?"

"I hope the rav will forgive my asking, but three times the rav has asked me what I'm doing and I have answered him. I don't understand," asked the young man.

The rav replied with a deep sigh: "It is correct that you have answered my question three times over, but your answer is not the one I was hoping to hear. In so far as you have accumulated money, that is nothing to your credit, for it all belongs to G-d, as it says, 'Mine is the silver and mine is the gold." It is He who gives you riches, health, and in fact, your very life.

"When I ask you 'What are you doing?' I am referring to your good deeds, which are wholly your own. Do you give tzedaka-charity? Do you do kindness to your fellow man? Do you devote a set time every day to the study of Torah? These are the only things in this world which are truly your own possessions which you accomplish through your efforts alone. I am asking you what you are doing, not what G-d is doing for you!"